A sprouted acorn officially returned to Letchworth State Park ahead of Arbor Day to carry forward the legacy of its celebrity parent, the fallen Anderson Oak.
On the lawn of the Glen Iris Inn, the historic home of William Pryor Letchworth, this new tree will grow just a few yards from where its parent once stood, the proud white oak planted by Martin Brewer Anderson, the first president of the University of Rochester and a friend of William Pryor Letchworth’s through the New York State Board of Charities.
Anderson planted the tree as a gift to Letchworth in 1877. Over the next approximately 140 years, the tree grew to about 100 feet tall.
In late July 2018, a windstorm knocked off the old tree’s crown and several limbs, revealing a partially hollow trunk. The tree’s fate was sealed.
After the tree was removed, longtime park volunteer Ken Wallace mentioned that long ago, tree-loving park employee Gary Lamitina gave him a single sprouting acorn from the Anderson Oak, and that it had grown to about 20 feet tall. Wallace offered to donate the tree back to the park to replace its parent on the Glen Iris lawn.
Park maintenance crews carefully transplanted the tree in a patient process over several hours.
The park has watched the tree’s progress, and on Arbor Day 2021, the tree was formally welcomed to the Glen Iris lawn near Letchworth’s memorial tree collection.
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